Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 38.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka is 38.2%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka peaked at 99.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 27.1%, in 2017.
Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 97.2% | — |
| 1986 | 99.8% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 80.4% | -19.4% |
| 1988 | 92.8% | +15.4% |
| 1989 | 98.0% | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 99.8% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 92.3% | -7.6% |
| 1992 | 81.9% | -11.2% |
| 1993 | 95.4% | +16.5% |
| 1994 | 93.2% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 94.0% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 71.8% | -23.6% |
| 1997 | 67.0% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 69.0% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 66.5% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 47.3% | -28.8% |
| 2001 | 46.8% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 38.9% | -16.8% |
| 2003 | 43.5% | +11.8% |
| 2004 | 36.7% | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 39.2% | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 49.2% | +25.3% |
| 2007 | 40.1% | -18.5% |
| 2008 | 41.7% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 39.3% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 52.6% | +33.8% |
| 2011 | 40.1% | -23.8% |
| 2012 | 28.0% | -30.2% |
| 2013 | 57.8% | +106.8% |
| 2014 | 36.6% | -36.7% |
| 2015 | 45.4% | +24.0% |
| 2016 | 29.7% | -34.6% |
| 2017 | 27.1% | -8.9% |
| 2018 | 39.9% | +47.4% |
| 2019 | 28.9% | -27.5% |
| 2020 | 30.2% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 41.3% | +36.8% |
| 2022 | 40.4% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 36.5% | -9.7% |
| 2024 | 41.1% | +12.6% |
| 2025 | 38.2% | -7.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 38.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.2%, 2.9× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 38.2% is above the median for South Asia, which is 23.4%, 1.6× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 93.6% | 80.4% | 99.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 83.1% | 66.5% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.3% | 36.7% | 49.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.6% | 27.1% | 57.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.9% | 30.2% | 41.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More energy & mining data for Sri Lanka
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 4.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 21.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka?
- Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka was 38.2% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.1% in 2017.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
- Sri Lanka ranks 54th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from hydropower. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.